11 Coolest Things Bixby Voice Can Do on the Galaxy S8

Get to know Bixby

Four months after the release of the Galaxy S8, Samsung's digital assistant Bixby is finally out — and for real this time, with no more promises or opt-in previews. After debuting in the U.S. in July, Bixby is now available on every Galaxy S8 and S8+ in 200 countries and territories across the globe (though it still only recognizes English and Korean). To get Bixby's voice features, all you have to do is perform a quick and easy software update on your phone.

But let's make one thing clear first: while it's nice finally have a real purpose to that extra physical button on the side of the S8, Bixby remains a work in progress. So we wanted to put a quick guide together covering how to get started with Bixby, and everything you can (and can't) do once it's up and running.

Image Credit: Samsung

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Upgrading Bixby

Certain functions of Bixby, such as Bixby Home and Bixby Vision, have been available since the S8, came out, but if you want access to Bixby's voice recognition and voice controls, you're going to need to update Samsung's Hello Bixby app. To do so, just go to the Settings menu, scroll down to Software Update and install the latest version which should include an upgrade to Bixby.

Note: You're going to need to sign into your Samsung account to fully complete the setup, and you may want to connect to Wi-Fi before downloading the update to prevent excess mobile data usage.

Image Credit: Samsung, Tom's Guide

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Say hello to Bixby

Once your phone is done installing the update, swipe right to go go to Bixby Home again. This time, though instead of the traditional Bixby cards and notifications, you'll be greeted by a green and blue screen and the sound of Bixby's voice asking you to go through the initial setup.

Just follow the instructions which will include signing off on a few software agreements, selecting your prefered language (just English and Korean are available so far, though Samsung says it will add other languages) and saying a few selected lines so Bixby can get accustomed to your voice.

Image Credit: Tom's Guide

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Update the rest of your apps, too

Even though Bixby is pretty powerful on its own, much of its potential lies in manipulating the other apps on your phone. That means it's especially important to update all of the S8's built-in Samsung apps, in addition to third-party apps like YouTube, Twitter and Instagram that are part of Samsung's Bixby Labs program.

Image Credit: Samsung

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Actually talking to Bixby

Here's where the fun starts. When you want to get Bixby's attention, you can trigger Samsung's digital assistant by saying "Hey Bixby," or simply pressing and holding the Bixby button on the side of the phone while issuing a command. Don't forget to stop pressing the button when you're done.

Image Credit: Samsung

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Change settings using Bixby

If you take a gander at the giant list of the things Bixby can do, you might be a little overwhelmed at this point. So let’s highlight some of the best things you can do with Bixby so far, starting with changing your S8’s settings.

Phone menus have gotten amazingly complex recently, and even though you can search, it's much easier to just say what you want changed and let Bixby do the rest. You can adjust anything from turning on the flashlight to enabling power saving mode or turning off Bluetooth. You can even task Bixby with super specific things like disabling notifications from a single app such as Google Hangouts or Samsung Health.

Image Credit: Samsung, Tom's Guide

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Use Bixby to dictate messages

Touchscreens make typing on phones pretty convenient, but if you don't feel like tapping out sentences one letter at a time you, Bixby can transcribe your speech and turn it into text in any app where you can use Samsung's keyboard.

To do this, just hit the microphone button. Alternatively, you can go into the Bixby settings and toggle on "Dictation on keyboard" so that you can just press the Bixby button on the side of the phone to write out text as well.

Image Credit: Tom's Guide

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Send pictures or messages to friends

With the number of photos people take nowadays, it's always good to take some time and review the fruits of your labor. And if you find one you like, you can send that image to a friend simply by asking Bixby. You don't even need to use specific language: just say "Send this picture to [insert name of person],” and Bixby will know which pic you're talking about, and even ask which messaging app you'd like to use.

If you're looking for something more complex, you can say "Post my last photo to Instagram" and Bixby will run through all the steps except actually hitting the share button, just in case you want to add a filter or change a setting or two. You can even combine all that with a caption request if you want.

Sam Rutherford is a senior product reviews analyst at Tom's Guide who covers smartphones, car tech and cameras. When he's not immersed in tech, he likes to debate economics, the merits of Dota 2 vs LoL, and the impending AI apocalypse. Follow him on Twitter @SamRutherford.